Hey! I'm Chase and I produce music under the name Duskmos in Austin, TX. I created this channel to highlight some of the gear and various equipment I use in making music, and to demonstrate effects pedals and how they help form and reshape sounds into something unique. In a world with so many options for gear available to musicians with all types of budgets, but also fewer and fewer places to see and hear those pieces of gear in person, I hope my content is useful in helping you decide if something is right for you and your setup.
If you're a pedal or instrument builder or manufacturer, and would like to get in touch about sending something my way for demo or review, please do so at the email address below.
Taking into account there are very few stereo compressor pedals out there, this is a dream come true for any musician who deals with stereo signals such as keyboard and synth players. Very good demo, sir!
Couldn’t agree more, BUT hey mono synths exist too haha 😆. I have a SH-101 and the Microfreak that are both mono, but yeah, I’d prefer all stereo everything as well!
Yeah! I was surprised too. It’s a mono output and for headphones they just split the mono to L/R but there’s no panning or stereo field at play - kinda nuts! Cool that MiniFreak is stereo, I’d def like to check one out!
@@Duskmos i can't hype it up enough i own almost a dozen synths and i barely use any of them because the Microfreak is so inviting. Highly recommended!!
Would loved to have heard this on the Volca Keys as I feel the crunchy quality of both would have been rather complimentary but I do see how you can express more of its qualities using this Elektron kit instead. Fantastic demo.
Excellent pairing. It’s like pairing a good full bodied Cab with a Ribeye braised and topped with a decadent peppercorn sauce or a fine Chablis with some Tilapia, lol.
Great combo! Great sounds! I also love seeing an affordable synth with pedals. The microfreak seems like it was made for pedals. Thanks for posting this.
Appreciate the kind words! I agree with you, Microfreak is 100% pedal friendly! I also use the Model:Cycles a lot on the channel, another one that I think works well (although stereo at the source so sacrifices have to be made lol). I definitely show love to all ends of the price range really - if it makes a good sound - it's worthwhile for music-making =) Thanks for stopping by!
@@Duskmos I couldn’t agree more about the sound source and I love your channel for that. I’ve been obsessed with west pest lately. It’s got a buttery organic sound that sounds so good with through some pedals. One day I will upgrade to the taiga but I’ve got some pedals on the procurement list first.
how do you connect the audio to your camera? I want to know because I want to make videos too, to post on ig or RU-vid, and I want the best sound from my setup to be recorded into the audio in the video, not just the camera's microphone.
I go into the TX-6 and then right into my camera, but on the camera side, I have a Sony FX-30 with the audio handle, which lets me record 4 channels of audio at once (I use 3) - one stereo pair for my input from the TX-6 and then one XLR input for my mic (Shure Beta 58A) - hope this helps! Good luck!
If you are looking at these types of stereo modulation pedals, look at flower pedals. They don’t have a phaser yet, but their stereo tremolo and delays are really designed for affected the stereo field!! Thanks for the video!!
While I agree that more stereo control or adding drive would be super cool, I feel like it’s a little unfair to call it a one trick pony. Most pedals do one thing, and some don’t even do that one thing well. I think this stands out as a HQ phaser, and even though it is “just” a phaser, it’s notable that there are so many controls for fine tuning. The addition of the interactor switch helps keep things interesting too. Arboretum looks pretty sweet, I want to give that one a try as well!
Might sound more interesting on an analogue groovebox or drum machine instead of a piece of digital gear. Love the model cycles but a behringer rd6 might have shown more emphasis on final changes, timber, and pump.
No doubt it'll have different responses on different signals. Hopefully the demo showed you a bit of what it can do. I was pretty pleased with it! Build quality alone on these are INSANE.
Thanks for this gentle walkthrough, very nice 👌🏻👍🏻 As you also have (tested) the Chroma Console, I was wondering how do you think the compare when it comes to colorize and sculpt different type of sounds? As far as I can tell both have ‘modules’ that can be flexibly routed. The CC has the Character module, where the AH has the analog section. Furthermore the CC has the Movement, Diffusion and Texture modules. But the AH also has time-based, shifting, compression and colorization type effects. Not to say one is better than the other, but where do both excel…?
Mannn it’s tough. For the price, Chroma Console is amazing. I think it sounds good and has that effect block / module thing going (as you mention) which is a really nice approach, and the size is nice and control scheme easy. I do think the Analog Heat is a different beast, although I totally understand how you’d compare the two. I love the Heat for the main saturation/drive character first and foremost, and the “extra” effects are nice for sure, more modulate-able, you get the bonus of a recording interface as well as “plug-in” mode. Effects-wise I’m partial to the tape noise and hiss you can get from it and the bitcrush is pretty nice. I think the Heat maybe sounds a little more high quality, but it should for 2.5x the cost. If I were using one on a pedalboard I’d absolutely go for the CC, desktop with Elektron boxes - the AH. I plan to keep the AH as the main saturation on my mix, and the CC will be used on individual devices, as needed. Maybe a great option for the cue send effect on my Octatrack. That’s my 2 cents, a bit rambling but I think it boils down to seeing the CC as more of a “superpedal” and the AH more of a “studio box” effect. Hope this helps in SOME way haha 😆
@@Duskmos thanks for sharing your thoughts, much appreciated! 🙏🏻 Yes, the AH +FX is more expensive than the CC. The actual difference will be 300-350 euro’s, because Hologram doesn’t have a local resellers or distribution partner in Europe (tax, shipment, etc. will top the regular price of the CC about 150 dollars). Then again, that’s still a lot of money that should result in some sort of added value. I can see the CC is much more direct and hands-on, which I find important in case of a performance and also during the in-studio creative process. I really do like the Elektron workflow, which offers a nice balance in menu diving (studio) and direct control (performing, playing). The well-known Heat section of the AH is a no-brainer to me and I find it much better and gives you more precise control (also by what’s available in the menus) then the Character module of the CC. On the other hand, the other effect blocks do sound a bit to clean and digital to my ears, so less ‘character’ and warmth then the ones in CC’s other modules. But maybe they just need some (studio) work to create your own custom patches. Could be a nice topic for a comparison video… 🫣😉
@@Duskmos well, maybe don’t call it comparison… ‘creative mimicking’ would probably be better, and it could even be the start of a unique series, too 😅
Thanks for the kind words, and I might just! It is a complex piece of the Analog Heat puzzle that hasn't been covered much. It will likely be a while since I like to spread out coverage of devices over time, but I'll definitely add it to my list!
Cool video 👍 but I’m totally hypnotized by the melody riff, love it ❤ I would like to ask you for permission to use it during my fun “101 Essentials to electronic music” course in my company during offsite event. All author credits will go to you, I swear
Yeah! Apparently earlier this year there was an update that adds 2 algos - Bloop and Boing! www.otomachines.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/BAM-User-Manual-Addendum.pdf
It is impossible to incorporate a device designed to always be alone and never play with others into a team. Unless you are going to sample it and arrange it........ That was a good effort.
Haha yeah an absolute challenge for sure! As far sampling and arranging it, that's exactly what I plan to do. I've enjoyed grabbing loops from it into the Coco and further morphing it too. =)
@@Duskmos That little Rungulatrix conundrum unit houses a truly massive array of sound. It is nearly boundless in what it offers. If someone needed only one gigantic library of sound with which to work forever and was not too picky about which sound they start to work with today, there is almost no competition out there. Plus potential 9v battery powered, portable, weird, cryptic, mysterious, banana jacked, chaotic AF, an hommage to Rob, has a splash of color and one more plus and this one is big, its fricken wood.
@@devids51 Eh yeah obviously stereo is preferred...though you can get pretty far with mono and the sound quality is still great but I hear ya. I'd def choose a stereo version if there was one haha.
As usual, a great video! I love the form factor and design of chroma console…. But i don’t love its sounds. I have it, and i find all the effects sound very thin to me. It’s hard to describe exactly, but i hear it making everything sound smaller, thinner, and flatter. I always want to like it, but end up removing it from the chain and using something purpose built
Thanks for the kind words! Also, I mostly agree with you here. Their design and approach is always solid, I love the features and the physical pedals, but they're never the "warmest" sounding effects. There's a place for them though, I'd say, but maybe only where there's a lot of "air" and maybe you just keep your low-end and low-mids out of their path?
Thx for the vid! I got mine few weeks ago with a great deal from the sound of you (they are in poland). My general issue is that the fxs are on the end of the chain while one would probably want to have them for chanel or for individual synths, like you can do with the godfather. Apart that its a great tripping machine:)
That's great that you scored a good deal, I'm always on the hunt myself haha. YES that would be next-level if the Analog Heat had multiple inputs, with effects per channel and then heat on the main bus - that would be pretty epic. Lol do we just need 1 Heat+FX per synth/groovebox/drum machine?? Maybe? Might try and win the lottery, brb. =)
You’re right about that, very Elektron and it’s definitely an interesting mix of things. Obviously as someone who has a lot of effects I don’t really need a multi effect to do all the things at once, but I’d say if I were going to only own one - this would be the one for me. It’s definitely a premium option for sure, which to be honest would be hard to beat if you purchased each type of standalone effect separately, and not forgetting that it’s also an audio interface too (I always forget that). No lie though if you’re more interested in the drive/eq/filter piece, I’d keep an eye out for a second gen one at a good price - I was watching one on eBay recently that ended up selling for $450ish - under half the price of the +FX and it’s still a fantastic box! Give these time though and these will come down, and just stay diligent - get them on your feed on reverb, set up alerts on eBay 👌
Great demo. I would love to hear more sound examples on the pass thru mode. It also looks like they added another mode with sample rate reduction which I’d love to hear.
Yes! I should do another video exploring those modes. It's hard because it stays permanently on my mixer send as my go-to delay so it rarely makes it onto the filming table!
Thanks for the kind words! I definitely think they're different enough that it's tough to compare. Deco adds a bit more of that tape saturation and a bit of delay and phasing kind of sounds, and the BOUM really brings a bit more range when it comes to crafting tailored distortion/saturation and compression with a stereo filter on top. I do quite like them both but I think I personally like them for different reasons. Deco is smaller, BOUM has more options. I feel like I like BOUM for the studio and Deco for live or a small rig setup. Deco runs on pedal power, BOUM needs wall wart power. Tough call - both great!
Thanks for the kind words! I definitely think they're different enough that it's tough to compare. Deco adds a bit more of that tape saturation and a bit of delay and phasing kind of sounds, and the BOUM really brings a bit more range when it comes to crafting tailored distortion/saturation and compression with a stereo filter on top. I do quite like them both but I think I personally like them for different reasons. Deco is smaller, BOUM has more options. I feel like I like BOUM for the studio and Deco for live or a small rig setup. Deco runs on pedal power, BOUM needs wall wart power. Tough call - both great!
Hmmm I am interested in a hardware distortion do i buy this or the new Ohmicide eurorack module. Obviously ones a euro module but i have the modules to get audio in and out of euro easily.
My opinion is to follow your gut! I'm not a eurorack guy (yet) so I like the modular nature (ironic) of individual pieces of gear, you can switch up your setup really easily by building small, mini-setups and I enjoy that. Do you like the flavor this gives? I'm not familiar with the Ohmicide.
Ohmicide. More versatile and bang for the buck. Plus, it sounds better in my opinion. I really like Noise Engineering, but their oscs and fx tend to sound thin to me. Things like Ohmicide or 100 Grit don’t need anything additional to fatten the sound. So you can use that space for additional shaping/modulation.
I don't really know how it works but I could see it being a "bank" of comb filters used to make this kind of effect. It's a pretty cool one none the less! =)
Thanks for that! Def makes sense, I wasn’t familiar with a “swell” effect at the time haha 😆 it’s actually pretty cool but you definitely need some sustain going on to appreciate it
I hear you, it is a little pricey but it's pretty unique and kinnnnda 3 pedals in one. Fuzz, Overdrive, Boost and the freeze which doesn't have params but is like an extra half pedal haha.
I actually agree. I feel that for that price point, I would like to see a stereo pedal with some EQ band stereo panning to swirl various fuzz bands into the stereo field. Maybe @chasebliss needs to tackle that beast. I do like how uniquely ‘clean’ and ‘crisp’ that fuzz sound is though…
